Many normally solid heat-activatable ethylene based interpolymers (e.g., co- and terpolymers) have been developed which are useful as hot melt adhesives and as coatings. These include copolymers of ethylene and vinyl acetate; ethylene and acrylic acid, ethylene and methacrylic acid and the like. These polymers are usually mixed with various waxes and tackifiers to form combinations which provide adhesives and coatings which are strong, tough and provide adhesion to a variety of substrates (polar and nonpolar, porous and nonporous). However, it has always been a problem in this art in providing a copolymer of ethylene and acrylic acid which not only functioned well as an adhesive and coatings but also was compatible with a wide range of waxes and tackifiers which are employed to improve the adhesive and coating properties of the base resin (e.g., ethylene acrylic acid).
Applicants have discovered an ethylene acrylic acid copolymer which not only provides good hot melt adhesive properties, is good for coating various substrates, and also is compatible with a wide variety of waxes and tackifiers known in the art.